In Sunlight and in Shadow
by Aro Holmes
Summary: Aro hides to escape his own talent and Carlisle finds him. This is four of the times they took a walk in the woods together. Sweet AU one-shot.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Twilight characters, but the woods as described are completely real._

* * *

**One**

The man walked cautiously down the path between the trees, keeping an eye on the clouded sky which threatened to reveal breaks of sun. The path here was wide enough in places for several people to walk together, it was pleasant to follow, green with undergrowth and shaded on both sides by steep banks and trees that stretched away into the dusk of the forest.

A gleam of sunlight brushed the man's burnished gold hair and refracted for a second off his pale skin. Carlisle Cullen paused and looked around him, adjusting the large pack he carried.

In the trees, a dark figure came closer to watch him, silent as a shadow, pausing with one white hand laid lightly against the trunk of a tree.

Carlisle was about to walk on when he caught a familiar scent and hesitated.

"Aro?" he said softly, too low for human ears.

The dark figure came to the edge of the treeline and looked down at him without speaking, the familiar figure of Aro Volturi, wearing his usual dark suit, his black hair flowing over his shoulders.

Carlisle sighed, relieved to have found what he was looking for and at the same time worried. Marcus had been right to be concerned, Aro looked tired and withdrawn, nowhere near his usual cheerful self.

"Who sent you?" asked Aro, not coming any closer.

"Marcus," said Carlisle. "The others wanted to give you space. Well," he corrected himself, "Didyme wanted to give you space and Caius wanted to lock you in a dungeon for leaving without telling anyone. But Marcus said it was against your nature to be alone for so long."

Aro nodded. "I suppose he's right, but I'm not coming back with you. I'm sorry you came all this way."

"Please," said Carlisle, "let me stay for a little longer, just to make sure you're ok."

Aro smiled without amusement and turned back to the woods, disappearing into the shadows again.

Carlisle took courage from the fact that he hadn't gone far. A narrow trail snaked off from the main path and Carlisle climbed it up into the trees, following Aro until he caught up with him again. They were higher now, surrounded by nothing but trees and the green haze of leaves and moss. It was darker here as well and cooler. The path ran haphazardly between the trees, winding up and down over tree roots and soft, spongy ground. Aro stopped and turned to face Carlisle. His eyes were completely black and he appeared to Carlisle even more than ever like an angel of darkness, beautiful and deadly.

"I brought you food," said Carlisle, indicating his pack. "They said you had stopped feeding."

Aro looked away. "It's kind of you, but…."

"But nothing, Aro, you'll feel better when you've fed. Doctor's orders," Carlisle added cheerfully. He dropped his pack to the ground and unzipped it, taking out several packs of blood.

Reluctantly, Aro knelt down next to him and accepted one of the packs. He gazed at it sadly, as though some barrier stood in his way.

"Please," said Carlisle gently, putting a hand on Aro's shoulder and looking earnestly into his eyes. "Trust me, old friend. Whatever this is, not feeding will only make it worse."

Aro heaved a heavy sigh and raised the bag to his mouth. He drank deeply and quickly, taking each bag Carlisle held out until he caught himself, putting a restraining hand on Carlisle's arm.

"You might want to save some for yourself, if you're staying," he said, without making eye contact.

Carlisle smiled, catching Aro's meaning. "I saw some deer tracks, by the pond back there."

Aro looked up, slightly alarmed. "I'd rather you didn't hunt here, this place, it's a kind of sanctuary and there aren't any large predators around, it doesn't seem fair to the animals here."

"Don't worry," said Carlisle, he held out another bag to Aro encouragingly, "I'll figure something out." Because he definitely intended to stay, having found Aro he knew he couldn't leave him here alone.

* * *

**Two**

"Why are they saying I left?" asked Aro as they walked along another narrow path. The day was sunny and they kept to the deeper parts of the woods, occasionally changing direction to avoid a human walker or bike rider.

"There has been speculation I think, but nobody wants to say anything out loud," said Carlisle, following along behind him.

"_You_ haven't asked, dear Carlisle," Aro commented, turning off onto another path, this one climbing higher than before.

"Would it help you to tell me?"

They arrived suddenly at a small wooden structure with grass growing over its dirt roof.

"What is this place?" asked Carlisle, examining it curiously. It had a metal chimney and no windows, and looked as if it was little used.

"It's a sauna," said Aro. He reached out and touched the wooden door. "I think humans just use it in the winter." He was silent and still long enough for Carlisle to remember that Aro had yet to answer his question.

"I got tired," Aro said finally. "Everyone I touch…I see so many things, and I can't forget any of it. I suppose I've just seen too much, know too many things. Just when I feel as though I've seen all the depraved things in the world that it is possible to see, I meet someone new and find I've just begun."

He looked down at his hands. "My talent is a curse," he said, sounding empty and despairing. "It's better if I'm alone."

Carlisle came forward and held out his hand. "Let me help you," he said gently.

Aro reached out, and then hesitated, his fingers trembling. Carlisle took his hand in both of his and tugged him closer. Aro made a small sound at the back of his throat, and then relaxed, letting himself sink into Carlisle's mind, its clear paths like the sunlight that fell through the forest canopy, catching patches of green here and there in radiant shafts of illumination.

They stood there for a long time without moving.

* * *

**Three**

On overcast days they walked on the wider paths, enjoying the open air.

Aro liked touching trees as they walked, pressing his palm up against their bark. Some smooth, others ridged or scaled like ancient rock or dragon skin.

"They're alive inside," he explained to Carlisle, "but I can't hear anything, it's just touch, nothing more."

Carlisle caught sight of two young trees ahead, growing together so closely that they intertwined with each other. One was a dark spruce, the other a white birch. Something about the contrast between the two trees and their shapes made Carlisle think vividly and irresistibly of what he and Aro might look like, standing together, one behind the other, Aro's arms around him and his dark head dipping to kiss his neck.

Aro, stepping close to the trees to admire and touch them, paused on seeing Carlisle's intense expression, first with curiosity, then with open interest.

* * *

**Four**

They sat close together at the base of a tree whose serpentine roots curved and arched around them. Aro leaned his head against Carlisle and gazed dreamily at the trees before them and the sunlight filtering down. They were holding hands, their fingers interlaced.

"We'll have to go back eventually," said Carlisle, turning his head so that his voice was muffled in Aro's thick hair.

"Not yet," said Aro.

"Not yet," Carlisle agreed, and smiling, pressed a kiss to the top of Aro's head. Aro closed his eyes tightly, listening with all his heart to Carlisle's mind.


End file.
